Mike Porter from Llangyndr, who is the local
Botanical Recorder, addressed the group about the value of our hedgerows and the
kind of things we should look out for. We then dispersed to three areas of the
valley – close to Gorslŵyd Farm, towards Pant-y-ffordd and the
Neuadd Farms and
at the lower end of the Brychgoed Chapel Road, where two teams were to work.
The technique was as described in the 'Hedgerow
Survey Book. A standard procedure for local surveys in the UK'.
The teams surveyed a series of 42 lengths of
hedge, each 30m long, recording the hedgerow woody species they found in each
section.
The lists of species were then collated and the
sections marked on an air-photograph of the valley.
The detailed results, in
an Excel spreadsheet, show the special nature of the Senni hedgerows.
Bird Cherry, which adds a beautiful dash of white
to our lanes each spring, was found to be unusually common. The dominance of
hawthorn did not surprise us – since it is intentionally planted to create a
thick, stock-proof barrier. Hazel was also very common and may have been
likewise intentionally planted to provide nuts in autumn.
The frequency of beech in our hedges, however, is
unusual – found here near the westerly limit of its range in Britain.
There were some clear differences between the
numbers of species found in each section of hedge. A recently planted hedge near
Gorslŵyd Farm contained only rose and hawthorn while those on the lane leading
uphill towards Brychgoed Chapel were made up of as many as 12 species, which
suggests that they are much older.
There is clearly a lot more work to be done
researching our hedgerows – a job made all the more interesting and relevant
because the Senni Valley is home to world-record-beating hedge-layers and a long
tradition of hedgerow care.
These first, very preliminary results should
encourage us all to look at our hedges again.
David Jordan
and Christine Havard, who
organised the survey
and welcome comments or suggestions on the survey, would like to thank all who
gave up their time, on a damp afternoon (when we could have been watching the
tennis) to make the survey a success. We would especially like to thank Mike
Porter for his very helpful guidance.
